6-12 July Sudan News Summary: Cholera, malnutrition on the rise, suffering in Darfur

15 Jul

Arabic news roundup

By William Greenwood

While Sudan's health system is witnessing a near-total collapse due to the war that has been ongoing for more than two years, the cholera epidemic is spreading rapidly, exacerbating the suffering of citizens.
The spread of cholera coincides with the lack of clean water, the disruption of sanitation services, and the collapse of basic healthcare, prompting international organisations to warn of a large-scale humanitarian disaster if urgent action is not taken.
A report from the Federal Emergency Operations Center on July 8, 2025, confirms that 603 new infections were reported in one week, including 8 deaths, bringing the cumulative total to 84,531, including 2,145 deaths, from 110 localities in 17 states, noting that the increase in infections occurred among returnees from South Sudan to Sennar, White Nile, and Blue Nile.
An activist in a local emergency room in Ombada said, "The local authorities, especially the health authority, should have intervened urgently to clean and sterilize the city. Ombada lacks a truly healthy environment amid the scattered corpses and waste."

The border crossing in the Sudanese city of Tina, bordering Chad, received a relief convoy of dozens of trucks early this July, en route to several areas in North Darfur State.
A local official, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that the convoy, consisting of 59 trucks carrying humanitarian aid from the World Food Programme, was heading to the towns of Kutum, Kornoi, Ambaro, Tina, Kabkabiya, and Mellit to provide assistance to the displaced.
Another local official stated that the lorries were carrying food and shelter supplies, without providing further details about the nature of the aid or when it would reach the beneficiaries.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has revealed an alarming rise in severe acute malnutrition cases in Al Jazirah, Khartoum, Darfur, and North Kordofan.
The humanitarian crisis is feared to worsen during the dry season, which coincides with the June-October rains, as most Sudanese families run out of food stocks harvested at the end of the year.
UNICEF said in a report that "admissions for treatment for severe acute malnutrition increased by more than 70% in North Darfur, 174% in Khartoum, and 683% in Al Jazirah.”
30.4 million Sudanese—64% of the population—need humanitarian assistance this year, with the United Nations initially planning to assist approximately 21 million of them before reducing the number to 17.3 million due to funding shortfalls.

By Samuel Hunt

MSF doctor Reza Eshaghian shares his firsthand account of Sudan’s humanitarian crisis.

“Today, the reality of life in Sudan is one where hundreds of thousands of people, already facing severe hunger, are being relentlessly driven from their homes, as civilians, aid workers and health facilities are deliberately and repeatedly attacked with impunity. Yet still, many of the world’s most powerful actors remain silent or absent.”

Save the Children has released a report, ‘Children Caught in Conflict: Listening to Displaced Voices from Zamzam Camp, North Darfur.’ The report presents the findings of a consultation with 452 displaced children, capturing the children’s lived experiences of conflict, displacement, and loss, while amplifying their priorities for recovery.

Mercy Corps staff reports that a humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in the Kordofan region.

“We are starving to death in Kadugli town. The food items have become unaffordable. You can't even buy 1kg of meat to feed your family—the price is unimaginable. We are not able to cope with this overwhelming crisis.”

The International Criminal Court (ICC) at the United Nations Security Council said there are "reasonable grounds" to believe war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed in western Sudan.
Targeted sexual violence against women and girls of specific ethnicities was named as one of the most disturbing findings to emerge from an ICC investigation.
The ICC has said the situation in Darfur, where some 40,000 people have been killed and almost 13 million displaced, "has reached an intolerable state".

UN humanitarians on Monday sounded the alarm over the worsening conditions in Sudan, as violence continues, and food and water remain at critically low levels. Across the city, nearly 40 per cent of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, including 11 per cent with severe acute malnutrition.
A massive increase in people fleeing to Tawila in North Darfur over the last three months is propelling the small town into a full-scale humanitarian crisis. Since April 2025, Tawila has absorbed nearly 379,000 people fleeing repeated campaigns of mass destruction and a year-long siege on Zamzam Camp and Al Fasher.